The Superintendent and Joint Director of Shillong Civil Hospital has expressed deep regret at the string of events that forced a critical Covid-19 patient to wait for hours before being admitted to the institution. The patient later passed away from the disease.
Uginia Rymbai, of Nongpoh, was admitted in the wee hours of April 27 after being referred to Shillong Civil Hospital. The patient, and her family, arrived at the hospital at 2:30 am but was only admitted at 4 am after much time was wasted in trying to wake up a sleeping security guard and gain the attention of the medical staff, who possessed the key to the main gate.
Rymbai had also been delayed in getting treatment because of a lack of specialized facilities at Nongpoh Civil Hospital and time taken to get an ambulance to transport her to Shillong.
Today, Superintendent and Joint Director of Shillong Civil Hospital, Andreas Dkhar, told Highland Post, “On that fateful night we had 29 Covid-19 patients and all the five nurses on duty were upstairs attending to one critical Covid patient, Sunita Limbu (who passed away on Tuesday evening).”
The fault was squarely on the security guard, Dkhar said, as he had been sleeping while on duty and had given the key to the receptionist instead of keeping it with him. The gate has to be locked, he added, to prevent any patients from trying to flee from the hospital.
To make sure that such an incident does not occur again, the hospital has decided to schedule two guards on night duty and directed that one nurse should always remain downstairs. The management has also ensured that a loud call bell is fitted at the main gate.
“We have also written to the DHS (Director of Health Services) for additional nurse supervisors,” he added while explaining that there is currently only one nurse supervisor who has Covid as well as non-Covid duties.
Rymbai passed away only a few hours after finally being admitted and her son, Marshall Rymbai, had also complained that, after telling the family that the municipal authorities would help transport the body, the family had to wait for hours before being told that, in fact, it was they who had to arrange transport for the body home.
Explaining the procedure, Dkhar said that the District Medical and Health Officer of Ri-Bhoi was informed that Rymbai had died. “The concerned district should have sent a mortuary van along with staff to collect the dead body,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Dkhar informed that Shillong Civil Hospital currently has 23 Covid-19 patients in the institute, three of which are critical cases.
There are currently 20 staff nurses and three doctors on Covid duty but more staff, including sanitation workers, have been requested.
“We will keep increasing the manpower if the Covid cases increase and we have asked for another 10 additional doctors and 10 nurses, six night supervisors, and six sanitary workers,” Dkhar said while adding that the hospital has sufficient oxygen and ventilators for now.
